Minutes of the Spring 2024 Meeting of the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee in Québec City
May 17, 2024 | Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac | Québec City, Québec
The following officers and members were present:
Officers
- Sabrina Lewellen, NCSL staff chair, Arkansas
- John Snyder, NCSL staff vice chair, Kentucky
- Anne Sappenfield, immediate past NCSL staff chair, Wisconsin
LSCC Members
- Cyrus Anderson
- John Bjornson
- Jacque Bland
- Natalie Castle
- Jon Courtney
- Lonnie Edgar
- Miriam Fordham
- Jonathan Harris
- Aurora Hauke
- Doug Himes
- Rob Hunt
- Jennifer Jackson
- Othni Lathram
- Raysa Martinez Kruger
- Lori Mathis
- KC Norwalk
- Rich Olsen
- Jill Reinmuth
- Melissa Renick
- Jennifer Sebren
- Paul Smith
- Shunti Taylor
- Betsy Theroux
- Will Tracy
- Erica Warren
- Andrea Wilko
Staff Chair Sabrina Lewellen (Arkansas) welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for attending. Introductions followed.
Notice of the staff nominating committees formation, membership and number of available positions was read.
The committee members are as follows:
- Chair: Raul Burciaga
- Charlotte Charter-Yamauchi
- Matt Gehring
- Ingrid Hernquist
- Othni Lathrum
- Rich Olsen
- Jill Reinmuth
- Susan Kannarr (alternate)
At this reading, there are five available positions. June 7 is the deadline for candidates to declare their interest in serving as NCSL staff vice chair. June 21 is the deadline for candidates to declare their interest in serving as at-large members of the NCSL Executive Committee.
NCSL CEO Report
NCSL’s Stacy Householder, vice president of leaders and international, and Bryan Thomas, chief communications officer, gave remarks and updates on the health of NCSL. Householder and Thomas thanked Québec City and the National Assembly for hosting this meeting. They gave an NCSL budget update. Highglights include a $500,000 transfer to the NCSL reserve fund with the total being approximately $1 million for the year. Additional funds will be put towards deferred maintenance on the NCSL headquarters building.
Dues collections were strong for the fiscal year and goals were met. There will be an increase in dues of 4% for fiscal year 2025, which was approved two years ago. The 2024 Summit registration numbers are ahead of past years, and it is on track to be a great event. They commended the Kentucky Host Committee for its work on planning for the event. Speakers and sessions continue to be identified and added to the agenda. Louisville will be the official launch of NCSL’s 50th anniversary celebration, which will culminate at the 2025 Summit in Boston. Legislative Staff Week was a success, with 2,244 staff shoutouts submitted. Three states lead the number of shoutouts: West Virginia in third place, Michigan in second place and Connecticut in first place.
Professional Staff Association Work Group
Jacque Bland delivered the report, noting Thomas gave an update on NCSL’s 50th anniversary celebration, including discussion of a Profiles in Service project. Anne Sappenfield gave the subcommittee an overview of the staff at-large nominations process. Updates from the association officers were provided on the staff chair goal for professional staff association histories, both on Breezio and on the association webpages, as well as dates and locations of the fall professional development meetings and how associations are choosing to incorporate and celebrate or acknowledge NCSL’s 50th anniversary. There was an updated report on the Staff Exchange Program. The participating associations have completed their exchanges for this fiscal year, likely planning visits in the future.
Standing Committee Officers Work Group
Melissa Renick and Miriam Fordham gave their report on the new standing committee structure roll out. The number of standing committees went from eight to 11. They discussed this new structure as a way to keep legislative staff engaged and to encourage and recruit other staff to take part in NCSL. They gave an update on Breezio platform use for the standing committees and said they felt it provided ease of access and a consistent way for members to find information. There was an update on staff officer professional development sessions, and they decided to offer a session on dealing with difficult stakeholders. This session will include the model code of conduct. The committee members are looking at ways to engage the officers and create connections, including the decision to hold a virtual orientation on how to navigate the Legislative Summit. NCSL will also hold a new attendee orientation at the start of the Summit. The group brainstormed ways NCSL can reach out to the new members and increase engagement. Some ideas included YNP sessions, and the “Salute to Legislative Staff” luncheon at Summit.
NCSL 50th Anniversary Special Work Group
Lewellen gave the following report: The NCSL 50th Anniversary Special Work Group is five months into its planning for the official launch of 50th anniversary celebrations at the Summit in Louisville. Celebrations will conclude at the Summit in Boston in 2025. The work group heard reports on the communications strategy, and reviewed the vision statement, goals and core messaging. Discussion was held on implementing two staff chair goals: the Profiles in Service project and an In Memoriam observance in Boston. Thirty-five states have taken legislative action to recognize NCSL’s 50th anniversary by adopting resolutions.
Strategic Planning Work Group
Staff Vice Chair John Snyder reported that his work group focused on two ideas: a special work group on artificial intelligence use in legislatures and how legislative staff will use this tool. The plan would be to create toolkits and guides on proper usage and how AI may fit into legislative workplaces. Still, he noted AI comes with a need for caution, adding that gathering raw data for use in areas such as writing press releases and research makes sense if the information is reviewed for accuracy.
The focus on NCSL’s 50th anniversary celebration will continue into next year and there will be a special subcommittee to continue the work that began this year.
The fall LSCC meeting will take place at the NCSL offices in Denver Oct. 18-19.
Snyder plans to attend many of the professional staff association fall meetings and would like to meet with the officers of the associations. He also put a plug in for attending the Summit in Louisville, noting that he and his state have worked hard on the event and want everyone to get excited.
Information Technology, Social Media, E-Learning and Outreach Subcommittee
Lonnie Edgar reported that the subcommittee held a discussion of Breezio and its usage. NCSL staff continue to work on improvements and are accepting all comments and design updates as they come through. The subcommittee continues to support the NCSL 50th anniversary work group. Members heard Summit updates, including that 364 staff registered so far, which is behind the number of registered legislators. They also heard updates about Legislative Staff Week and NCSL’s use of LinkedIn as a tool to market the Summit.
Legislative Institution Subcommittee
Jennifer Jackson reported that the subcommittee discussed favorite traditions in chambers, including a Festivus celebration in North Dakota. The group also discussed staff chair goals for the Legislative Litigation Toolkit, the Legislative Staff Personnel Manual, and the Model Code of Conduct, which are either complete or soon will be. For better marketability, access to these tools will be added the regular NCSL This Week Sunday email along with a link to the website. There was a preview of the Legislative Institution track for Summit with a great selection of topics being discussed.
Programs and Professional Development Subcommittee
Jill Reinmuth reported that PPD has had a busy year. The subcommittee held an online meeting prior to this meeting, on April 9, where it heard reports on NCSL Base Camp and NCSL staff gave updates on LSIE and LSMI. The application for LSIE opens May 21. Through the years, this program has gained strength and become a very good program for newer staff. There was an update on Legislative Staff Week, and it was reported that NCSL Base Camp, in its fifth year, is scheduled for October 29-30. Eighty-three percent of attendees were legislative staff last year and over 1,000 legislative staff have participated in this program. At $59 per person, it is an affordable option for legislative staff. The PPD plans to monitor the timing and session topic selection at the fall meeting in Denver.
There was an update on the senior staff director program, with information on the history of the program from NCSL staff. Funded by the NCSL Foundation, a request was made to hold two online programs per year at a minimum with an in-person session held at a regular interval. The PPD would like to amend the bylaws to cover remote session requirements.
Reinmuth gave an in-depth update on LSMI and the NCSL delivery of the program for 2024, to be held in Denver at the NCSL headquarters building. The selection process is complete, and faculty have been identified and contracted for this year. The PPD has heard regular updates from NCSL staff on the program since the decision was made to end the contract with USC. PPD has been provided with the program philosophy, a budget, NCSL personnel responsible for the program's areas, and the daily agenda and faculty associated with each subject. There are three off-site learning sessions for the cohort and classroom sessions. The PPD chair and vice chair have offered suggestions for NCSL to consider within the program and discussions will continue on these subjects.
Miriam Fordham again expressed her opinion that there needs to be an academic partner with NCSL for the delivery of LSMI. Jon Courtney said he appreciated NCSL’s staff for taking the leadership role and that he agreed with Fordham. Reinmuth stated that there will be a virtual meeting for all members of the LSCC to continue the LSMI discussion prior to the meeting in Louisville.
Lewellen expressed gratitude to the members of LSCC for their attendance and investment in their subcommittees and work groups and presented the members with a gift before adjourning the meeting.
Meeting adjourned.